O Kadhal Kanmani

Its been a while since a movie has left me with so much warmth inside. Its simple story of love that is challenging conventions. The story itself, although simple has a lot of depth to it and the actors really bring it to life. Although he challenges conventions Mani brings it a full circle back to the fact that marriage although flawed in someways is the epitome of unity between 2 people in love and that sometimes you have to just jump in instead of finding faults.

And the soundtrack for once seems to have found perfect amalgamation with the movie itself. It really adds to the emotions that is driving the storyline. And the fact that there isn't the usually stereotypical bad guy is refreshing.

For anyone who wants the feel-good warmth should definitely watch this movie. My only peeve was the slightly off dubbing. But other than that at the end all I wanted to do was to listen to the songs over and over again. Watch it to judge for yourself.

I happened to watch OK Kanmani yesterday. First of all, let me begin by saying that the movie is definitely much beyond mere 'OK'. If Mouna Ragam, Alaipayuthey & OK Kanmani were to be clustered together as Mani Ratnam's 'love trilogy' then I would definitely consider this movie as a prequel to its predecessors, as the other two had dealt with post-marital themes whereas, this one explores pre-marital relationships of contemporary urban youth. The casting seemed very fresh. Dulquer Salman, Nithya Menen, Prakash Raj, Leela Samson and others have offered some gritty and seminal performances in terms of acting. The movie is undoubtedly a true gem and a definite landmark in all their respective filmographies. The diction of the lead pair does not even show a hint of their obvious malayali accent and seem to enunciate their respective lines quite fluently in spite of being shot entirely on sync sound except for a few scenes. However, the main highlight of this movie is its resplendent cinematography by the very versatile P.C.Sreeram who packs quite a punch this time with his snazzy frames and groovy lights that makes the movie seem like a radiant visual romantic poem. The Art Department surely deserves special appreciation. For instance, there is a scene which reveals Ganapathy's (Prakash Raj) study where we see an old cranky desktop computer and few books neatly displayed in the shelf beside. Such small nuances do play a major role in establishing the character's predilection. Songs composed by the maestro himself have already emerged as trend-setting chart busters and fit inextricably with the narrative instead of merely being distinctive tracks which has got nothing to do with the story-line thus, offering an entirely new experience to the viewer. Contrary to a few reviews that I had read online prior to watching the movie which claims the first half to have intermittent lags, I felt that the movie picks up pace right from the word go and maintains momentum till its dramatic culmination. The dialogues follow the same old pithy and succinct pattern which is indubitably a renowned trademark of the auteur. Overall, OKK is certainly not 'the best' movie of Mani Ratnam hitherto considering his extensive body of work but, it definitely has the potential to become both an inexorable blockbuster and a cult classic in the years to come. Hats off to this 58 year old gutsy genius who has valiantly envisaged a modern-day taboo theme of 'live-in relationship' and churned out a beautiful love story which is both realistic and relatable to the contemporary youth of India. In precis, the film gives us a message that even below an attenuated layer of ostensible modernism, there lies a strong substratum of traditional values still embedded in today's young generation which is yet to become extinct.

A new Maniratnam film always gives you goosebumps as it begins, since you expect something extraordinary coming from the maestro yet again as per his reputed career giving many trendsetting films in the past. And when the experienced film-maker is returning with a love story based on new-age relationships mainly catering to the urban regions, the expectations got to increase further to many folds without any doubt.

Thankfully this time Maniratnam delivers the goods if considered in terms of a youthful treatment, realistic dialogues, artistic vision, catchy music and emotions dealt as they tend to be in the modern world. But taking into account the subject and its basic storyline, the film mostly offers predictable content heading towards a usual culmination of a love story, with nothing surprising or innovative tried, probably fearing the risk of rejection.

Talking about two young independent individuals, O KADHAL KANMANI (meaning Oh Darling, my love, apple of my eye) also popularly called as OK Kanmani, is just a perfect film for the multiplexes with a fine mix of romance, comedy, emotions and music leaving a feel good impact on the viewers as desired. However it actually makes that favourable impression because of two major strengths mentioned below, pointing towards the perfect casting done by the maestro.

Firstly it's the immensely likable and infectious performance of its leading lady Nitya Menen, who carries the complete film on her shoulders with an innocent ease and conviction. The girl instantly makes a loving connection with her audiences and keeps them entertained right till the end leading from the front.

Secondly it's the adorable characterisation of the lovable elderly couple played by Prakash Raj and Leela Samson just perfectly. And one can easily learn a valuable lesson of life from the couple, teaching you how to be patient, calm and together in those tough final years dealing with many physical ailments.

In other words you just cannot imagine O KADHAL KANMANI without these three characters providing the much required support to its otherwise 'seen before' subject matter to be honest. Yes, Dulquer no doubt delivers an enjoyable, natural act as the lead hero with an impressive screen presence winning many hearts. But the soul of OKK remains Nitya Menen alone, contributing much more into the film's overall look and feel in comparison to anyone else in the cast.

Moving ahead, OKK's realistically written script full of simple and relatable dialogues along with a well conceived art direction and cinematography plays a major role in maintaining that young feel throughout. Moreover its seriously amazing to realise that a man in his late 50s has made this with an all mature team perfectly portraying the mindsets of the youngsters and their common problems dealing with a new-age lifestyle and love-hate relationships.

Once again getting a big support from the music & background score composed by A. R. Rahman, the film gets lifted just at the right moments with a (long due) fine soundtrack from the genius featuring songs such as Mental Manadhil, Aye Sinamika and Kaara. Plus I really loved and enjoyed the interesting arrangement & treatment of tracks Parandhu Sella Vaa, Malargal Kaettaen, Naane Varugiraen and the calm, soothing feel of Maula Wa Sallim, though a few could have been avoided keeping in mind the dropping pace post intermission. (Note : The views on music here are given keeping the lyrics apart as I couldn't get them completely due to the language limitations)

So if you are looking for a light, refreshing, rom-com that doesn't make you cry and keeps delivering cute sequences with an enjoyable chemistry both between the young and the elderly couple played brilliantly, then OKK should be a perfect choice for you as a youthful entertaining film. But in case you are expecting an intense romantic drama with all those real life conflicts and emotions that once happened to be the forte of our master film-maker, then OKK might turn out to be a film from a different and new Maniratnam willing to explore the youth in a much lighter mood.

Perhaps a changed Maniratnam with the changing times, who is simply more interested in making a light romantic, musical with a comic touch, solely made to give its viewers a good enjoyable time in the theaters. And that's exactly the reason, I personally found the film to be progressing too easily with no tension of any sort, making it shallow at times moving away from the actual life that faces a lot of adversities when it comes to'Live In Relationships', 'Risky Career Choices' and 'Family Conflicts'.

Interestingly same is the case with most of the films today, clearly revealing their reservations in showing the 'Sadness' on screen resulting in a one side depiction of life making it completely off balance. Because, till you are not willing to talk about the two sides of the coin equally, you are not going to find much depth in your presentation be it a film, book, poem or any creative expression, whatsoever.

Summing up, O KADHAL KANMANI is a MANIRATNAM film that has been solely made to be a success story, targeting the young viewers simply willing to enjoy their movie outings together avoiding any kind of serious emotional stuff. It has freshness, it has love, it has music, it has chemistry and it has Nitya Menen too, but the drama we always expect from a MANIRATNAM film has been sadly sacrificed in the name of box office performance.

Mani Ratnam is one of the premier film makers in India who tried to change the definition of entertainment in our films.Be it his mass flick Dalapathi,romantic Sakhi or Mounaragam,biopic Iruvur or Nayagan,they have always been engaging and touching despite their performance at box-office.But he seem to lose his touch since a couple of films.Now he has gone back to his forte(actually basics) and has come up with OK Bangaram.Let us see whether Mani succeeded this time and is OK Bangaram is cool enough in this hot summer.

Plot: The plot is not an out of the box idea.It is a simple story of two like minded youngsters who happen to fall in love but do not believe in marriage(for their own reasons).They move together and begin to live in relationship.Where the life takes them forms the crux of the story.......

Performances:Its Nitya Menon's show all the way.She has carried most of the film on her shoulders.Her cute expressions and smile,for sure,will not leave you for sure for a long time. Dulqer is also equally good.He is vibrant in that character.Nani's dubbing best suits him.I am sure that you will like to remember them as Adhi and Tara.Prakash Raj and Leela Samson(renowned classical dancer made her debut with this film) are very good in their well written roles.Other actors are adequate.

Screenplay & Direction: I feel screenplay is the major reason for the failure of Mani's earlier flicks.This time he seem to have taken extra care in this aspect.Though it becomes slow at times,it picks up at the right time and keeps you engaging.Coming to direction...One can simply say our Vintage Mani is back.He got almost every thing right.The scene in which the leads communicate for the first time in church show his thoughts are so fresh as that of a guy in teens. His way of blending the story of Ganapathi and Bhavani's timeless love in the main plot is interesting.How can one comment about the framing of one whose shot selection is so good as Sachin Tendulkar. Brilliant.........

Technical Department:Music by A.R.Rehaman is extraordinary.Though he is not at the best of his form in the recent years,he preserved his best for his guru.All songs are well captured.After a very long time,heard blissful lyrics in a dubbed version of a movie.Thanks to Sirivenella.ARR's BGM is also terrific.He became soul to some of the scenes.D.O.P has done a breath-taking job.No doubt P.C.Sree Ram is called as 'Master'.Whenever P.C.Sree Ram and Mani join hands visuals are taken to next level.Take my bow Sree Ram Sir.Editing by Sreekar Prasad is good in songs and decent in total.VFX during the opening credits needs a special mention.Dialogues are passable.Art work is good.

Final Word:The film also have its share of flaws.The film's block point is very weak and it also looks like the film runs on episodes.The Screenplay is dragging at times but ARR and Nitya make up for that.This is definitely not the best of Mani Ratnam.But this can be called as his come back after a series of duds.Do watch the film in theaters to have a scintillating experience of perfect blend of music,visuals and acting.Definitely,you will come out with smile on your face.This BANGARAM is pure gold.............

Cast : perfectly casted for all characters starts 4m Bavani aunt to Aadi's sister in law

Plot & direction : A man who desperately needed a hit, came out of his recent genres parallel cinema, hyperlink, Biography, and terrorism etc., and succeeded.

Beg your pardon, kindly direct movies which even "C" centre audience can understand. It would've made difference for Kadal and Raavan at BO Undoubtedly it's a second Alaipaayuthe of this 21st century. The major difference, it revolves around unmarried living together couple and the heroine is wealthier than hero.

The romance of bhavani ganapathy is much deeper and beautiful than Thara Aadi